UCLA’s Chip Kelly Accepts Demotion To Major College Football Program

Rumors lingered for months, but now it’s official. Chip Kelly will not be the head coach of the UCLA Bruins in 2024. Kelly spent six years coaching the Bruins, where he led a 35-34 win-loss record and a 1-1 mark in bowl games.

While there was some thought about Kelly returning to the NFL as an offensive coordinator, that offer never materialized, with teams hiring other candidates instead. This left Kelly’s future in limbo, meaning a return to the Bruins was still in play. Yet, ultimately, Kelly found a different job he preferred over returning to UCLA for a seventh season.

Related: UCLA Basketball Revival & Comprehensive Preview of UCLA Football’s Spring Secondary

Chip Kelly Leaves UCLA Bruins To Become Ohio State Buckeyes’ Offensive Coordinator

chip kelly
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

According to The Athletic’s college football insider Bruce Feldman, the Ohio State Buckeyes are hiring Chip Kelly to be their new offensive coordinator. For Kelly, it’s a bit of a reunion, as Ohio State’s head coach Ryan Day actually played for Kelly when he coached at New Hampshire. They later coached together on three separate coaching staffs too, but this will be the first time where Day is essentially Kelly’s boss.

The move comes just hours after we learned Bill O’Brien backed out of a chance to be Ohio State’s offensive play-caller. O’Brien decided to fill Boston College’s sudden head coaching vacancy, which opened up when Jeff Hafley left to become the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator.

Now, the question becomes who will be the UCLA Bruins’ football coach in 2024?

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